Austin City Limits Music Festival

Every year thousands of people attend the Austin City Limits Music Festival. The festival takes place in Zilker Park, a 351 acre park that is home to a long hosts of concerts, festivals, and camps. Zilker Park is so close to downtown that many people arrive to the music festival by bike or on foot. The Austin City Limits Music Festival normally takes place in the fall around September and October. The festival lasts over the course of three days and features 130 local, national, and international bands. The producer of the festival is C3, an Austin based event company that is also responsible for producing the nationally famous Lollapalooza Festival.

There is a large genre of music that is included at the festival. Visitors go to hear rock, indie, hip-hop, reggae, bluegrass, Americana, and folk music from the nearly two hundred bands that play in the park. Performers like Norah Jones, Beck, Van Morrison, Keith Urban, Tori Amos, and Willi Nelson have all performed at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. The festival lineup puts a spotlight on all types of artists from every musical genre.

The experience at the festival is a blend of food, art, and music. An area of the festival called the Austin Eats Food Courts displays the best of Austin's cuisine. The area has a variety of delectable entrees and deserts and dozens of vendors set up stands or booths to accommodate a public that is interested in local Austin cuisine. Pizza, pies, tacos, salads, burgers, barbecue, and other dishes are all available at the Austin Eats Food Courts. Every year, new vendors are added to the list to keep the food court updated and fresh.

Tickets to the festival can be purchased at the Zilker Box office, Airport Box Office, or Republic Square Box Office. Ticket purchasers who plan to attend the festival all three days must exchange their tickets for a wristband so that they can be allowed to reenter the festival. Tickets provide access to every area in the festival including the food courts, art market, and music stages. VIP passes are also available to festival-goers who want to enjoy additional special amenities. Those who purchase a VIP pass receive parking, food servings daily, a spot in the VIP Grove, mini spa, misting area and a gourmet happy hour with beer, wine, and specialty drinks. The passes can be acquired for a fee of $850 and are often sold out months in advance.

An alternative to being a part of the festival without paying a ticket fee is to volunteer. Individuals who have an interest in volunteering at the festival are welcome to apply. Once the application is approved the volunteer is placed on a team after enduring an orientation and being provided with an assignment.

The Austin City Limits Music Festival is the largest musical festival in Texas. The festival brings in people from all over the state and nation who want to see numerous bands and sample the dishes featured at the festival. An estimated 65,000 people attend the festival daily. The Austin City Limits Music Festival is another reason why the city of Austin is called the Live Music Capital of the World.